Gurung Kitchen
Gurung Kitchen, located at 1033 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122, offers a delightful experience of Nepalese and Indian cuisine in a cozy and family-friendly atmosphere. The moment you walk in, you're greeted warmly and immediately seated, setting the tone for a welcoming dining experience. The restaurant specializes in authentic dishes that cater to various tastes, including flavorful curries, crispy momo dumplings, and an array of naan options.
For those looking to dive into the flavors of Nepalese and Indian cuisine, the lamb vindaloo and seafood curry are must-tries. The lamb vindaloo is perfectly spiced at a medium level, offering a rich and flavorful experience. The seafood curry is another highlight, packed with tender calamari and other seafood, maintaining that ideal balance of spice and taste. The curries, while smaller in portion size, pack a punch and are perfect for sharing.
Accompanying these dishes are two types of naan: the classic version and a unique cherry/coconut-filled naan, which adds a sweet twist to the meal. Pair these with a bowl of perfectly prepared basmati rice, and you've got a meal that is both satisfying and comforting.
The menu also includes excellent vegan options like the pani puri, which is a crowd favorite, along with the tofu saag and mushroom dishes. The momo dumplings, a standout dish, are juicy and reminiscent of potstickers, making them a great appetizer. The chicken chao mein is another flavorful dish, showcasing the restaurant's versatility.
Service is attentive and friendly, with waitstaff offering helpful suggestions for newcomers to the menu. While parking in the Inner Sunset area can be tricky, the dining experience more than makes up for it. The atmosphere, coupled with great food and service, ensures that Gurung Kitchen remains a favorite for those seeking authentic, delicious Nepalese and Indian dishes in San Francisco.
Gurung Kitchen Reviews
Absolutely fantastic food!!!!!!!!!! This is the best Nepalese or Indian food I've ever had. I absolutely loved it. The server was funny and easy to talk to, and the ambiance is calm and family oriented. I loved my experience here. We had the pani puri, which is vegan, the roti, the spicy veg momo, the tofu saag, and the mushroom dish. It was awesome!
We stopped at Gurung Kitchen for some lunch and are so happy we did! The waiter was very helpful with finding us popular recommendations on the menu. We are so glad we got the chicken momo--they're like moist pot stickers, similar to a dumpling. So delicious. That with the chicken chao mein was so darn good. We also loved the ambience of this restaurant. A great vibe and the waiter/bartender was awesome too. We highly recommend eating here, and would be thrilled to come back the next time we are in the inner sunset to try even more of the menu.
There are several Indian restaurants in our neighborhood, but Gurung Kitchen is now one of my favorites. It's a little bit of a walk for us so we haven't visited despite walking past it many times on doggie walks. We got the gobi machurian to share and I got the thali with goat. The gobi machurian was okay. I prefer dry manchurian, whereas this one has a thick sauce, so it was a little soggy. But the flavor was good. My thali was great, the main reason I want to come back again. I feel like when I get thalis at other places, it's just a few items plopped together and made hours ago. This thali had small portions of 8-9 things. I liked the couple of pickled vegetables that I've never had. There was rice as well as a crispy cracker (I don't know the name). The goat curry as very flavorful. Definitely want to come back and try some other items!
Quality/Quantity - Fairly simple menu, done well. One of our guests, who is a regular customer here, wanted to introduce this restaurant to our out-of-state guest. He preferred "Chinese" food. See amazing dinner review at San Wang. Today we got the following: Vegetable Pakora - I love this stuff, it makes me think I am eating healthy. Yes, it is deep fried. The dips were good also, I prefer the pesto sauce dip. Pani Puri - Interesting. Our host guest wanted to introduce this to our out-of-state guest. Pork Momo, 3 orders. - Our guests really like pork. Butter Chicken - You can almost not go wrong with this. Because we stayed so long, our guest got hungry again, so we added this and the naan to our order. Garlic Naan - Some of the best I have had, almost like a pizza garlic naan. Gulab Jamun - Dessert - Very sweet, actually too sweet for me, but everyone else liked it. It was like a donut sponge filled with sweet syrup. Also available are beers on tap, see picture. But wasn't sure if our guest drinks... Well, if you are following, the next day on our Napa trip, we found out how much he likes to drink, lol. Atmosphere - Small but beautifully decorated restaurant. See pictures. Small lounge area. Street parking, good luck. Our guest must be an extremely lucky person! For our two days together, we got the PERFECT parking places in EVERY place we visited! Single, unisex, clean, and organized bathroom. Open 7 days a week from 11am to 10pm. Service - 6 stars, friendly and accommodating. We also took an extremely long lunch as we just picked up our guest from SFO and have not seen him for decades! No pressure to leave. To preface, we came after the lunch rush and left before the dinner customers came. Price - $85 + generous tip. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 2021, we will be regular customers.
This place is low key and calming with good Nepal/Indian cuisine. We walked in and were immediately greeted and seated. They will ask you on spice level: medium or hot. The lamb vindaloo was both medium spicy and flavorful. The seafood curry was packed with tender calamari and other seafood; it was medium spicy and flavorful. Both curries are relatively smaller portions. We ordered two kinds of naan: regular and a cherry/coconut filled naan. Both very good and especially the latter. Also, a bowl of basmati rice was summoned; it was well made and tasty. $56 with tax and tip. Tip: two light eaters could skip the basmati rice. Bathrooms: ok barely. Customer service: ok Parking: Inner sunset, if you get parking in five minutes, you are super lucky.